The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.
There is always more mystery.
Anaïs Nin
Looking for Lines in San Francisco
I express myself through my photography. My lens is my eye on the world around me. It makes me more aware. Of light, of colour, of shapes, of textures, of landscapes and details. Urban fragments, peeling paint. A rusty lock. Light through leaves. A blackbird. The perfect flower. The purest colour. It makes me look. And take the time to stand and stare. To wonder. I hold my breath and press the shutter. And hope that I have captured the perfect moment.
Developments in the iron industry played a central role in the Industrial Revolution. I have featured Ironbridge before, the first arch bridge in the world to be built from cast-iron designed by Englishman Abraham Darby (1678-1717) and architect Thomas Pritchard. So I will share a few images from around the other industrial areas of the town:
The Cardinal has decided to have a photo project going throughout 2015 – a blogging event, a monthly photo challenge. Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?
Sounds right up my street and I shall be interested to record the changes in my neighbourhood. Some of these locations have been posted before, but this is a circular route from my front door around the River Teme, taking in the castle, some interesting houses, trees on Whitcliffe Common and some of the floral offerings on Ludlow’s streets.
Date: January 19 2015 Weather: sunshine and cloud Temperature: Cold (2°C) Time: 2 – 3 pm
After taking some photos around the castle garden on Dinham with the pollarded lime trees, it’s time to walk down to Dinham Bridge and capture a few shots of the castle and the river which is in full spate after the rain in Wales.
Dinham Brick Cottages
St John’s Chapel
Stone Cottages
Catkins (Jan)
View from Dinham Brisge
View from along the Breadwalk
Continue along the Breadwalk, taking great care as the path is frozen at this point and notice the Donkey Steps to the left. Swans feed at the edges and naked trees are reflected in the water.
The Donkey Steps
Waterfall
New Growth
Ludlow Bone Bed
Swans swimming
Copper leaves (Jan)
The Mill Weir
The Teme at Ludham Bridge
Leaving the river behind, my final stretch is along Lower Broad Street where the lack of outside space does not prevent the owners of the ancient cottages from displaying one of the towns best ‘gardens’.
Following a thread posted on my visit to Stonehenge I noticed that I had commented on my Avebury post that I still had to have a look at a local stone circle in Shropshire: Mitchell’s Fold Stones. That comment was made in March 2014.
Yes that is snow on the lens…
So on Saturday, in bright sunshine I decided to take the shortish drive (25 miles) to find these stones. As we turned off the road and approached White Grit (Powys) the covering of snow on the lane alerted me to the fact that maybe this was not such a good idea.
I need a vehicle like this one!
Continuing up the lane to the car park with the ice/skid light illuminating on my dashboard I hoped that I would be able to turn around at the end. Reversing down this track was not really an option. The sun was still shining, though there was an ominous black cloud in my rear mirror.
As with many prehistoric sites Mitchell’s Fold is subject of legend. It is said that a fairy gave a magic cow in times of famine which produced an endless supply of milk. An evil witch tried to milk her into a sieve, and realising the trick the cow disappeared. The witch was turned into a stone and a circle of stones was built to ensure she could not escape.
The stone circle is not too far from the parking area, but the temperature was somewhere around 2°C and the wind was raw. The landscape (that which was still visible) looked amazing. Wrapping up in scarves and gloves and hiking boots we headed up towards the stones, which were sadly hidden in the blizzard that then hit us!
I tried – honest I did, but I can’t say that this was my best photographic venture despite risking frostbite.
Oh, well, I will try again in the summer – this vista is well-worth exploring, stones or no stones! And there are barrows and cairns in the area too.
(This stone circle was constructed in the Bronze Age, over 3,000 years ago, using dolerite stones from Stapeley Hill. Today there are 15 stones arranged in a rough circle, but there may have been as many as 30).
If you enjoy a walk, long or short, then have a look at Jo’s site where you are welcome to join in.
If you would like to join in with the Bench photo challenge then take a look at my Bench Series page where you will find everything you want to know (haha if only…)
Create your own post and title it Bench Series: January
Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
Add the tag ‘bench series’ so everyone can find the benches easily in the WP Reader
Get your post in by the end of the month, as the new bench theme comes out on the first Sunday in February
I look forward to resting my feet all around the world!
TRAVEL WORDS 